Ecologgers,
How many of us got into ecology because we loved the natural world. I
suggest that the answer would be 'the majority'. How many of us got
into ecology because we had 'respect' for nature?
I certainly moved that way because I loved the natural world from an
early age. And if you love the whole, should one not love the
component parts, including the worms? Did Darwin love the worm?
Would E. O. Wilson say that he loved ants? I suspect I know the answer.
Love may not be a sufficient condition for conservation. I submit,
however, that it is one of the necessary conditions. How can we teach
values? I suspect that direct experience is part of the answer. You
can't love or even respect something of which you know nothing.
Unfortunbately direct experience of the natural world seems to be a
declining component of our education systems.
As to Jan Shetsov's suspicion of some of the jargon of philosophy like
'intrinsic value' etc, I suggest that she read Arne Naess, and his
prinicples of ecosophy. Philosophy is an often arcane pursuit in
which I claim no special expertize, but it was philosophy that gave
birth to many of the great principles that we claimn to live by,
including the Universal declaration of Human Rights, which might have
been viewed on with suspicion by earlier generations. Is it
inconceivable that hte same considerations might be one day extended
to other life forms?
Quoting Jonathan Blythe <[email protected]>:
I think a good word instead of love would be respect. People have a
respect for nature and that is why we protect it.
Another thing Hargrove said in his ESA talk was that we need to teach
values as part of our public education. It is not a surprise that it
is such a contentious issue, since we are basically uneducated as a
society on how to value things like nature. He might have a point, and
I encourage you to read some of his literature on this subject. I am
just a casual observer, so I can't authoritatively weigh in with my
point of view. However, I think it is an important discussion to have.
Jonathan
